My Favourite Reads April - June 2020
Well, that went fast! I’ve flown through 23 books in the past three months, fueled by seeking distractions from lockdown and the state of the world at the moment. There’s nothing better than losing yourself in a good book - especially when the world is going to shit. And I’ve definitely read my fair share of good books these past few months. Continuing from my round-up of the best books I read at the start of the year, I wanted to share my top eleven reads from April, May and June. The list below is dominated by new books, although there are a couple of re-reads of books I loved when I was younger, inspired by my friend Ella (who has the best taste in books and reads even more than I do). Read on to discover my latest recommendations, and let me know the books you have enjoyed recently by leaving a comment below.
MY DARK VANESSA BY KATE ELIZABETH RUSSELL
This story of a twisted relationship between a teenage girl and her teacher is right up there as one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s hard to read at times, especially as the narrator goes into detail of their early sexual encounters, but it’s a powerful read that I couldn’t put down. I loved how the story dealt with how Vanessa perceived her relationship with Jacob Strane, and how she finally has to confront the power dynamic of what happened when she’s an adult, looking back at a relationship that she romanticised. Trigger warning for rape.
HOW I LIVE NOW BY MEG ROSOFF
I first read this book around the time it came out, and subsequently loved the film when it was released. Yes, it’s young adult but Meg Rosoff has such a wonderful way with words and I love how she tells a story (I’m currently reading her new novel, The Great Godden). How I Live Now is told from the perspective of Daisy, who moves to the English countryside to live with her eccentric cousins in what quickly evolves from idyllic summer to a nightmare situation as a war rages. The reader doesn’t learn much about what is going on with the war, rather the story is told from Daisy’s point of view, as her entire life is turned upside down.
THE GLASS HOTEL BY EMILY ST. JOHN MANDEL
Station Eleven is one of my favourite books of all time, so I was eagerly awaiting Emily St. John Mandel’s new book. The Glass Hotel is no Station Eleven, but it had me hooked throughout. It really shows how good Emily’s writing is that I enjoyed this book, as I didn’t really have any prior interest in the subject matter (a Ponzi scheme). I loved the little Easter eggs from Station Eleven that were scattered throughout the novel, with it almost reading as an alternate universe to the events of that book in parts.
EXCITING TIMES BY NAOISE DOLAN
Naoise Dolan is among a cluster of Irish authors that reviewers will dub ‘the new Sally Rooney’, and for rightful reasons here. Exciting Times did, at times, feel like I was reading one of Rooney’s books. Her character development and the focus on twenty-somethings struggling to find their place in the world definitely draws comparisons. Ava has moved from Ireland to Hong Kong to teach English to rich children for an abysmal salary, when she meets Julian who she begins an unhealthy relationship with, and later Edith, who she actually connects with on a deeper level. I was completely hooked to this book throughout, flying through it in a matter of days.
SUMMER SISTERS BY JUDY BLUME
Summer Sisters was one of my favourite books as a teenager, and the first book I can ever remember reading that made me blush with its sex scenes. I loved Judy Blume, starting with her children’s books and working my way up to this, which is definitely aimed at young adults. I love how the story covers decades of the protagonists life, from her very first summer on the island with the bewitching Caitlyn, to how the decisions she makes in subsequent years affect her life and how she can’t ever seem to truly escape the island, even in adulthood.
THE INLAND SEA BY MADELEINE WATTS
Pay no attention to the blurb on the cover of The Inland Sea. It really doesn’t describe the book, making me think I was about to start reading something very different to what I actually read. Regardless, I adored this book, even if the legend of Australia’s inland sea isn’t really as much of a focus as the blurb had me believe. Rather, this is the story of a girl who is getting ready to enter a new chapter of her life, throwing herself into destructive behaviors and relationships as she becomes obsessed with her new job manning the phone lines at an emergency switch board in Australia. I adored how Watts writes and can’t wait to see what she does next.
A THEATER FOR DREAMERS BY POLLY SAMSON
It took me a while to get into this, but I was soon transported to the Greek island of Hydra during the 1960’s, completely distracted from the reality of the pandemic. I loved Samson’s idea to insert a fictional character into a well documented moment of recent history (Leonard Cohen et al summering and writing in Greece) and tell the story from her point of view, rather than the stories that people already know snippets of. Reading A Theater for Dreamers made me nostalgic for an experience I never had, making me wish I’d spent a summer roughing it on a remote island, basking in the sunshine and not having a care in the world.
HOT MILK BY DEBORAH LEVY
I can’t believe it took me so long to get round to reading Hot Milk. I fell head over heels for this book and Levy’s distinctive prose, adoring the story just as much as I loved the writing itself. I’ve since picked up a couple of her other novels, and can safely say that I consider this to be her masterpiece. Hot Milk is the story of a complex relationship between a mother and a daughter, as they navigate treatment for the mother’s ailment in a small town on the Spanish coast. The narrator’s character was so well fleshed out as she deals with confusing relationships with her family and two lovers.
STRAY BY STEPHANIE DANLER
I really enjoyed Sweetbitter (and subsequently became slightly addicted to the TV show) so was thrilled to learn that Stephanie Danler was releasing a memoir. This all-revealing book is devastating in parts, as Danler discusses the ups and downs of the most important relationships in her life. I always think it’s such a brave thing to do, to write such a revealing book and put the darkest details of your life out there for everyone to see. I loved the vivid descriptions of California, and really enjoyed her writing style.
THE LIGHTNESS BY EMILY TEMPLE
The Lightness is my favourite book I’ve read so far this year. I loved it so much that I’m tempted to pick it back up and read it again, savoring all its wonderful sentences. Set in a Buddhist retreat for wayward teenage girls, it’s a beautifully written coming-of-age story that will leave you, like the narrator, questioning what actually happened. Yes, the premises of the book is nothing groundbreaking - a clique of somehow ‘special’ teenage girls dappling with magic, friendship, sex and danger - but Emily’s way with words pulls you in and hooks you. If you loved the nineties film The Craft and my favourite read of last year, Bunny by Mona Awad, you’ll love this.
DEVOLUTION BY MAX BROOKS
I loved Max Brook’s previous novel, World War Z and was so disappointed when Hollywood took the book and made it into a blockbuster. The book is always better, but especially so in this case. I eagerly pre-ordered Devolution with high hopes and was not disappointed. I love Brooks’s way of story-telling, from the POV that the event really happened and monsters are real, and how people would cope with this. Devolution is set in an isolated luxury eco-community in Washington state. Mount Rainier erupts and the community is immediately cut off with the knowledge that they will have to fend for themselves over a long, hard winter - but something monstrous is lurking in the trees and the meaning of the word ‘survival’ is about to take on a new context.